


Shapes

by LearaBribage



Series: the missing pages [19]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist (Live Action), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, 青鳥の虛像 Fullmetal Alchemist | Fullmetal Alchemist: Bluebird's Illusion
Genre: Action, Buccaneer "I'm Gonna Tell Them", F/M, Fluff and Angst, General "Let Them Pine" Grumman, King "We'll See About That Hoho" Bradley, Miles "TF You Don't", Mutual Pining, Olivier Mira "I Know A Battle Couple When I See It But I Won't Say It" Armstrong, Riza "If You Promise Not To Slack Maybe" Hawkeye, Roy "Give Me A Break" Mustang, Team "We Need To Stage An Intervention" Mustang, Train-Kun Said It's A Birthday Date Or Else I'll Isekai You Both To The Next Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27640091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LearaBribage/pseuds/LearaBribage
Summary: What exactly occurred in the annual military exercises that Major General Olivier Armstrong talked about? What made the Mustang Unit stand out? And most importantly, what happened on Roy Mustang's birthday when they got transferred from East City to Central Command?The first half of the fic broke the Author's mind while the second half just about sent their mind to space. This fic contains a lot of KAPOW-KAPOW by Mustang Unit, Briggs shenanigans, and lots of subtle-not-so-subtle royai flirting courtesy of intervening friends (and ROY, OUR SWEET BOI, YOU'RE SO GONNA GET IT) and LOL, the Tags(TM).
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Series: the missing pages [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731022
Comments: 10
Kudos: 26





	Shapes

**Author's Note:**

> All the characters here except King Bradley and General Grumman are put one rank lower in the first half of this story as it imagines one of the earlier annual drills between Briggs and East City (i.e. from when Roy Mustang was still a Lieutenant Colonel).
> 
> This fic may be read after [First](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24301342) and before [Alumina](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24604372). If you haven't read it, it's fine as a standalone in this collection as well.

“Attention!”

“For this year’s annual military exercise between Briggs and East City, we will be focusing on siege tactics. With a twist,” General Grumman announced on top of a dais, his beard twitching in excitement as soldiers from the Eastern and Northern Command met his look with mixed reactions.

In some, he saw faces contorted with apprehension. Others met his gaze head on, the excitement of earning merit in the drills being their prime motivator. Of course, there were still a select few who eyed him with boredom.

The General chuckled to himself.

Adjusting his glasses, Grumman explained, “Amestris prides itself in having the best infantry battalions in East City. As the Eastern Command is a strategic front, we have kept prevailing in keeping the might of Amestris as its sword. Meanwhile, Briggs of the Northern Command boasts the most ingenious battalions of Amestris, for the honour of being her shield!”

“And so, in the spirit of the occasion, we have decided to lay the burden of defense on East City while the attack will be carried out by Briggs! Since we are doing siege warfare, you all know the objectives of the exercise: capture the enemy flag or defend the fort from captivity! One other thing! As is the custom, use of alchemy is not allowed! This is the order of the Daisato King Bradley!”

King Bradley waved the salute away after the announcement, and sat back down on his seat, observing the soldiers. His stony gaze first fell on the soldiers of the Northern command.

“Are they trying to mock us?” First Lieutenant Buccaneer crossed his arms, scowling beside Captain Miles.

Miles shrugged. “The speech was mockery, but the exercise? Not so.”

“What do you mean?” Buccaneer asked, arms crossed.

Beside the Captain, Colonel Olivier Mira Armstrong gave him a steely glare. “It means our laws remain the same, First Lieutenant. It doesn’t matter what end of the drill we are on. Or who we face for that matter. There is only one goal — subjugate.”

A smirk rose on Buccaneer’s lips. “Just how I like it, then.”

Colonel Armstrong crossed her arms. “You’re not the only one.”

Miles arched a brow in confusion until he followed her gaze and found it settled on a group who only nodded to each other after the announcement. The Captain observed two of them had striking epaulets denoting their service in the Ishval war — a blonde woman and a black-haired man with Xingese features. If memory served, the two would be... Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang — the Hawk’s Eye, and the Hero of Ishval, who was also known as the Flame Alchemist.

 _Interesting_ , Miles smirked, probing the men around them. Four men of different builds. A quaint group, but nonetheless worth investigating if it meant they followed those two. 

A short, black-haired one with glasses began talking with the Flame Alchemist while a tall white-haired guy was doing his best to put on an impassive mask but was failing. Beside him, a blonde guy was patting his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Finally, a stocky man Miles suspected had Ishvalan blood was quietly looking around. 

“Should be fun, Colonel,” Miles murmured without glee, feeling his superior’s glare beside him.

“Who doesn’t work, doesn’t eat,” Armstrong reminded him, ordering him and Buccaneer to start walking to their base with her.

It was a very sobering warning.

“The General sure wanted to remain popular with the soldiers here, huh,” Ensign Heymans Breda remarked to Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang.

Roy nodded, though he crossed his arms as they reached their fort. “While that is true, the General was also doing it to boost the morale of our soldiers. The Eastern Command is indeed good on offense-oriented battlefronts, but it is very lacking in defensive strategies. You saw how most of the detachment reacted to the announcement.”

Breda shrugged just as his fellow Ensign, Jean Havoc, replied with, “Pfft, it’s not our fault they are not as creative. Adapting takes skill and experience more than orders.”

Warrant Officer Vato Falman nodded gravely beside Sergeant Kain Fuery who said, “True, although the only veterans we have are the Lieutenant Colonel and the Second Lieutenant.”

Havoc laughed aloud at Fuery’s pointed remark as Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye sighed beside the Lieutenant Colonel.

“At any rate, we need to get in position,” the Second Lieutenant reminded the group.

Roy nodded to the group. “It's as the Lieutenant said — whoever doesn’t will deal with three months’ worth of backlog reports.”

A chorus of groans followed the remark.

An hour later, the Eastern Command was suffering from the Briggs offensive.

They kept getting pushed back — the trenches and ramparts that Major General Halcrow set up were slowly being overwhelmed by Briggs soldiers, especially more so in the right flank. Not to mention, the wedge formation in the centre flank that Halcrow used to attempt to break through the Northern Command’s lines were being swept away under the command of Colonel Armstrong. Only the left flank under Roy was managing to keep the scales from ensuring East City’s utter humiliation.

It was an ugly sight.

Roy Mustang had expected as much based on the intelligence Breda and Falman were able to gather on Briggs a few months ago. Still, seeing all of it unraveling in front of his eyes was another matter entirely. Briggs has been more advanced in terms of technology than East City, so having them display their tenacity as the offense for this year was still quite the sight to behold. Likely, they were probably fed up with having to hear of East City being the pride and joy of Amestris.

 _Suits us, I guess_ , Roy thought, observing the field with critical eyes.

He never agreed with Major General Halcrow in terms of strategy since he was so unnecessarily focused on heavy artillery, despite it being a way to parade around East City’s might. If they were on the offensive, it would have been appropriate, but as it stands, that was not the case this year. He probably didn’t get the memo of the changes that were going to occur. Not that Roy did as well, but given how fickle the top brass can be, Halcrow should've adjusted accordingly. That's the problem with people who are obsessed with tradition. They become slaves to preconceived ideas and rarely if ever consider alternatives to an ever-changing reality.

With a sigh, he cast his gaze above him where the Second Lieutenant Hawkeye was overseeing their defense. So far, she’s been able to push back the right flank cavalry soldiers of Briggs with her group, so it was a great help to Ensign Havoc below, who was dealing with the infantry soldiers with Sergeant Fuery.

 _So far, so good, unless Briggs comes up with something out of turn_ , he thought, noticing how the Briggs soldiers were moving back to let the machine guns cover their retreat. Fortunately, the guns were not loaded with bullets, but capsules of paint. If it were otherwise, the top brass would've easily handed the win to the Northern command, especially with how they've overwhelmed their platoons.

He used his binoculars to see what the Briggs soldiers were up to, and when he saw a small group scattering a few miles away, he frowned. A number of possible offensives they could use popped up in his head, so he searched the throng of soldiers below him to find Sergeant Fuery. When he spotted the Sergeant guarding their supply lines, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Roy whistled sharply then, hoping to catch the attention of Fuery so he can check how their maneuver was coming along. When he received two whistles in return, he scratched his head. He didn't reply back anymore, and instead signaled thrice to the Second Lieutenant Hawkeye above him. 

A few seconds later, a chorus of gunfire and shouts of frustration erupted in front of them.

He heard one sharp whistle above him, and he reciprocated the signal with a grin. Second Lieutenant Hawkeye had completely decimated whatever maneuver the Briggs soldiers were plotting. There was a small chance that she'd catch his gaze, but he couldn't help eyeing where she was fondly.

 _Her eyes never miss anything_ , he thought with a grin. 

Silently, Roy took out his pocket watch. When he saw the time, he tightened his hold on it and let out another sharp whistle to his right. He heard a sharp cry in return and balled his hands into fists.

Only time would tell if they would survive this attack or not.

On the other side of the field, Captain Miles was cursing at the failed coup de main his platoon attempted at the right flank. His group was planning to cut wires and set up dummy trenches to weaken the East City's left flank before gunfire rained over them, stopping their progress. He thought he'd have enough cover after all the infantry he sent to kick up dust against the blond haired soldier that was with the two Ishvalan war veterans, but that plan had just backfired.

"Ensign Havoc and Second Lieutenant Hawkeye," he uttered with a grimace as he called back his group to retreat. Those two have been quite the pain to deal with the whole time. If it weren't for the Ensign's quick-wittedness in the trenches, the Briggs's right flank would have long incapacitated East City. Not to mention, the damned Hawk's Eye. Any chance of him maneuvering a rallying call had been obliterated. He estimated the Ishvalan veterans to be troublesome, but he didn't fully account for the danger the men around them posed. Adjusting his glasses, he cast one last look over his group and found the Hero of Ishval staring at him from afar.

 _What a dangerous group you have, Flame Alchemist_ , he thought grimly, ordering his group to reinforce the Briggs's left flank. Perhaps there was a slim chance of redemption there. He didn't consider the centre flank given how the Colonel Armstrong was doing well against Major General Halcrow. Miles let out a small sigh of annoyance, already anticipating the bitter coffee he will be having for dinner.

"Any luck, First Lieutenant Buccaneer?" Miles asked once he arrived at the dilapidated building Buccaneer used as a makeshift fortress for their base of operations.

Buccaneer adjusted his M1913A automail more tightly to fix the hinges of its chainsaw claws before he leveled a triumphant stare at the Captain. "Enough to land my platoon a fine meal," he smirked, nodding to the bustle of soldiers below them.

"That so?" Miles remarked, peering outside. When he saw how the platoon had pushed back another trench line, he grinned. "You can already launch an infantry advance soon. If we had our tanks here, you'd have secured us a win for sure. Good game."

Crossing his arms, the First Lieutenant laughed heartily at Miles. "Don't worry, I'll give you some of my sh—!" Buccaneer tried to joke when he heard a roar of indignant shouts below them.

Miles arched a brow before calling the attention of the nearest soldier he can find. "What's the status there, Private?"

"Our group found cut wires at the border of our left and centre flanks," the Private answered tersely. "It probably occurred when our formations were scattered after we got into a melee with the East City's centre flank earlier."

Buccaneer nodded. "Well said, Private. Secure the perimeter, nonetheless."

 _Perhaps it's better to check the other end of the border for any retreat_ , Miles thought acridly. There's a chance that the surgical force or whatever the East City troops sent to infiltrate the Briggs fortress will be exiting on their right flank.

"I did come here to reinforce your flank, since my post can only stall the Echidna Left's movement," Miles offered, clapping the First Lieutenant's shoulder. "I'll use my unit as a probing force so you don't have to deal with that."

"I was just joking about the meal earlier, but I owe you one," Buccaneer replied, giving Miles a salute. "Crocodile meat's healthy, I heard."

Miles arched a brow. "Coffee is enough for me to survive the Northern Wall of Briggs, but thanks."

Buccaneer only guffawed in reply.

Once Miles gathered a select number of soldiers to join him as scout, he immediately departed towards the border. He questioned the group for further information regarding the incident but there was nothing new from what the Private said earlier, so the Captain instructed his small force to form around him — three gunners in front, two bombers on the side, and one sniper behind him.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Miles ordered, scanning the buildings around them as he led his group deeper into the Briggs's fortress. "The melee occurred half an hour ago, and we don't know how many we're dealing with."

"We can't let the Colonel Armstrong know that we failed to notice this a while ago, Captain," a soldier muttered mirthlessly, while another whispered apprehensively, "Coffee's not enough, man. I just got transferred a few months ago. I ain't used to the damn cold just yet."

Miles rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help replying, "Chances are that Armstrong already knows. She's not the Northern Wall of Briggs for nothing."

"Shit," his group collectively cursed as Miles stifled a laugh and went back to scanning the area again, checking for any sign of disturbance. They were nearing the end of the border between their centre and right flanks, so if there was any chance of capturing the enemy, it was going to be here.

"Fucking _Echidnas_ ," his sniper suddenly uttered behind him. Miles glanced at him questioningly before following his gaze to a building on their right. He saw shadows flit by. Quickly, he signaled for half of his team to check on the place while they went on the other side to pincer the East City soldiers.

Just as they were about to secure both pathways of the alleged East City soldiers, he heard something hurled towards them. Suddenly, their vision was obscured with a smoke grenade going off on both ends.

Miles coughed, breathing slowly to relieve himself from the blast. He wiped his glasses to do away with the dust and tried to go towards the source of the explosion, hoping to catch the damned Eastern comm soldiers.

Behind him, his sniper whispered, "I think I only saw two of them, Cap. How the hell did they go unnoticed in that melee? Fucking Echidnas, man."

Miles restrained himself from retorting that their number was precisely their advantage, frustrated as he was by receiving the signal that the other group also missed the soldiers. Most likely, they took the flag to signal their breach. From there, they only needed to launch offensives to capture their fort.

Miles can't allow that. They were supposed to be on the _offense_ , for fuck's sake.

He left his post in the right flank since they were doing fine, so there should be enough time to radio them in on the situation. "Private, two Echidnas heading to border. Inform the Wall," he ordered, hoping they'll make it in time. 

_Alchemy wasn't allowed for this exercise, but that's nothing without human ingenuity_ , Miles thought with a grimace, cursing all the way back to their camp.

He already dreaded the strenuous drills that will follow this failure. Fortunately, though, there was still a meal they could eat here. Once it's back to Briggs, there won't be any dinner.

"Good work, Falman," Breda grinned, tapping the Warrant Officer's back as they quietly slithered from one trench to another while trying to avoid gunfire from both sides as they headed back to their group.

Falman laughed uneasily as he heard the shuffle of feet not too far from them. "You did most of the work, sir. I only took the flag."

"Ain't that one of the crucial things?" Breda pointed out with a grin before sharply whistling thrice as he heard firing shots to their side. "On my left, Falman. I'll cover you."

"No, sir, you take the flag, it'll be faster for us if you go ahead," Falman tried to reason as more Northern comm soldiers popped up to stall them.

Breda shook his head, giving back Falman the satchel carrying the flag. "Your excellent memory is just as vital as my niche, Falman," he said, hurtling a smoke bomb behind them.

He grinned as he heard a sharp whistle in the distance. "Plus, the Lieutenant Colonel won't allow it, you know that."

Falman let out a regretful sigh, smiling weakly as he shook his head.

"Eastcomm soldiers and Northcomms spotted, sir! Permission to retrieve our soldiers and engage the NCs!" Ensign Havoc shouted over the radio as Sergeant Fuery prepared their artillery.

"Granted!" Roy replied as he arrived at the scene to prepare for their attack while Havoc and Fuery headed out for the first charge. Once his platoon was ready, he let out a sharp whistle to signal Second Lieutenant Hawkeye to provide them cover. Soon, a chorus of gunfire above him followed his command.

"Major General Halcrow, my team has already secured the enemy flag," Roy said on the radio, nodding to Breda and Falman who've successfully returned to their camp. "We'll be launching an infantry advance since my first group has engaged with NCs. We'd be pleased to have your cooperation."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Lieutenant Colonel," Halcrow tersely answered on the other line. "You don't even have the flag. _I_ do."

Roy tried not to roll his eyes in irritation. "I understand, sir. As it stands, this is our only chance. My platoons will breach the NCs for _your_ group to plant the flag," he replied as numbly as he could, holding back himself from spilling any caustic remarks in return. Time was a fickle friend, and he didn't want to waste the air they breathed for one obstinate leader. Just asking permission was already thinning their odds. 

Finally, the Major General just said, "Proceed. But I'm reminding you, don't get ahead of yourself."

This time, Roy rolled his eyes freely. "Sir," was all he said before ending the call. With a firm voice, he called his platoon's attention. When the soldiers turned to him, he gestured towards the battlefield, and with one word ordered, "Charge!"

Half an hour later, the exercise drew to a close with the Northern Command's defeat.

"That was quite the battle, I must say," King Bradley said after he finished giving a speech to recognise the achievements of each regiment in the military drill.

General Grumman grinned. "It was. The Northern Command showed remarkable efforts. I can already sense the promotion of Colonel Olivier Armstrong to Major General. Briggs would certainly flourish under her command." Closing his fan, he faced the Daisato. "Still, the Eastern Command prevailed."

The Daisato flashed a shark's smile in return. "This development will certainly improve Amestris's capabilities, General."

"Very much," Grumman replied, his grin never faltered as Bradley walked away. "I look forward to its growth in the coming years."

Once the Daisato was at a distance, the General dropped his act and rolled his eyes. _What a cheapskate not to return my praise of Briggs_ , he thought idly as he headed towards the Eastcomm's mess hall for the celebratory banquet.

The feast saw soldiers from both regiments giving each other the stare-off as Colonel Olivier Armstrong icily spoke to Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang.

"If it were someone else, I'd have been surprised," Olivier remarked with gritted teeth. "I'm dealing with Ishval veterans, after all. I should say it was rather expected."

Roy smirked before shaking his head. "We are on our turf after all. If it were at Briggs, I'm sure we'd have a different outcome." More diplomatically, he added, "Still, it almost became a draw with your forces."

Olivier raised her chin, gesturing to her regiment to start leaving.

"We definitely won't forget this," she concluded just as frostily as she began the conversation. 

Roy only shrugged in return. Then noticing that the Daisato had arrived with the whole hall's immediate rise to salute him, he walked away with an impassive mask after Bradley waved away their greeting with a satisfied grin. 

"Are you all right with this, Lieutenant Colonel?" Riza asked once he arrived at her side, gesturing that the rest of their unit were presently eating their fill at a table on the far corner of the hall. 

He glared at King Bradley from afar, after noting that Havoc and the others were enjoying their meal. "It should be enough for now," he answered with a sigh. "I am still too weak to go against the Daisato. It's still too early. That said, the team earned more than enough merit for this, so I am thankful. No one really wanted to do the backlogs, I gather."

"No one really wanted to do _your_ backlogs, sir," Riza quipped, staring at him as he laughed at her biting remark.

"Mm, of course," he said, grinning at her. "Still, the team was exceptional at this drill, Lieutenant. Especially you."

"We all worked together, sir," she replied, looking to the floor.

Ah, it was just like her to downplay her role in the grand scheme of things. He cannot allow that.

He sought her gaze, holding it once she raised her head. "Defensive battlefronts are harder than offensives, Lieutenant," he began. "And yet you always excel. The others know what they did and they celebrate it, so please don't devalue what you did."

Her face flushed before she looked away and whispered, "I could say the same to you, sir."

He only grinned in response and led the way back to his office when he eyed her on the side and noticed something peculiar to her person. His eyes grew wide when he saw a speck of blue paint at the back of her neck.   
  
"Ah, Lieutenant," Roy began, a little embarrassed, "you have some paint on the side of your neck."   
  
Riza froze, her hand reaching up to the place he mentioned. "It's washable, so it should be easy to remove," she said, wiping the area. "Is it gone now?"   
  
"No, it's still there. It's just small, but it's still noticeable," he answered, tilting his head a little to scrutinize the paint on her skin. "Yeah, there. That's right. A little higher, no, not there."

Roy was getting frustrated that she couldn't remove it, but he also sensed her growing embarrassment with the situation so before he could dwell on it, he placed a hand on her waist to hold her still.

"Please, let me," he said, moving closer to her. After a while, he was able to scrub the paint away from her skin. It's just that...

It's just that her skin looked really flushed after he rubbed the area, and he couldn't stop admiring how soft her skin was.

 _Her skin feels like silk beneath the pads of my fingertips_ , he thought idly, his eyes lingering as he grew more captivated with it.   
  
He didn't realise he had been rubbing the skin at her neck for a while until he felt her shiver against him. When Roy glanced at her to see how she was, he found her gaze burning. It was as if her brown eyes were shimmering — almost like he was staring at sunsets — and her cheeks have turned into a rosy hue. And her lips... her parted lips looked highly inviting.

It will only take a bit. A bit to usher her closer to him with the hand he placed on her waist. A bit to know how her sweet sighs feel, their breaths mingling, all hot and heavy with desire.

"Sir?" Riza whispered.   
  
"It's gone now," he whispered back, his throat felt dry suddenly.   
  
"Sir?" she repeated with a catch in her breath, clutching the fabric of his shirt.

His lower abdomen flexed instinctively.

Her voice was so soft, and if no one arrived, if nothing disrupted them...

Roy blinked. What was he doing? _What was he thinking?_   
  
He can't do this. Not to her. She doesn't deserve this. If anything, she deserved hours. Hours to be cherished, to remind her that she does not need to carry all her sorrows alone, to bring back her carefree laughter from years ago.   
  
He let her go.   
  
"It's gone now," he repeated weakly, looking away from her as he balled his fists. "But as I was saying, don't belittle your capabilities. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."   
  
Riza sighed behind him. Quietly, she said, "Don't forget yourself too."

Her reply surprised him, making him laugh and ceasing whatever awkwardness arose between them.

The sharpest eyes and swiftest quips, she has. How could he ever forget how great she was? 

"You never miss anything," he said, closing his eyes as a smile rose on his lips. When he turned to face her, though, her brown eyes regarded him softly, catching him off guard once again.

And when her lips curled at his surprise, he didn't expect her to whisper, "You never forgot me."

He could only stare at her then, at a loss for words as he was, when the memory of that day resurfaced from the depths of his mind as his unit boarded the train at East City several years after. 

They were set to transfer to Central today, and his team had finished preparations the day before. Things should have gone smoothly if it weren't for the additional passengers, _elites_ at that, that were given more consideration and thus placed at the cabins they were supposed to be in. Supposedly, they should have been prioritised, but when the group were informed that the guests were kin to Mrs. Bradley, they just groaned collectively. As a result, they settled for another coach with the other passengers.

"Drat," Havoc cursed moodily, as they arrived at their cabin. "Damned relatives taking advantage of connections."

Fuery patted his shoulder as Falman said, "It's a pain, really. At least we got closed cabins, though."

"It's on the Colonel's account, anyway," Breda commented, chuckling. "If it were otherwise, we'd only get a discount since he's the only one with access to state funds."

"Say it with me, men," Havoc said with a smirk, "Sta—"

"State Alchemist Privilege!" the four said in unison.

"What 'privilege' are you talking about?" Roy asked, crossing his arms as he and Riza came from settling their cabin seats. "I took an exam for that, you know. Got flying colours and all."

Havoc coughed awkwardly when Roy glared at them jokingly. "Anyway, it's my birthday," he explained, "so I thought I'd treat you this at least."

"How kind of you, Colonel," Fuery said, trying to smooth the tension when Falman whispered, "There's _always_ a catch, Sergeant."

Havoc shushed the Warrant Officer when Roy moved to another topic, "So for the seating arrangeme—"

"Yo, Colonel, we four'll take the cabin at the back, so you two can have the front since you have Black Hayate and some of our luggage," Breda quickly offered, putting his hands on the other men's shoulders.

Fuery added, "And we still have some reviewing to do with Central's map! We were so busy with the preparations for today, so we hadn't had the time!"

Havoc looked at the Sergeant bewilderingly. "Ha, but I thought we'll take care of it tomo—"

Falman nudged his elbow with a straight face. " _Absolutely right_ , I forgot to memorise the layout, so yes! We also need space for the maps! Sir!"

Riza arched a brow at them. "You don't need to get so worked up over it. I was going to ask if that could be the case since I had Hayate with me."

"Anyway, it's settled," Havoc recovered, shooing the two. "We'll place some of our luggage there, so go on!"

"Do as you like," Roy answered lazily, already tired with the group's antics. "The Lieutenant will drill you on the maps, anyway. Whoever gets the _least_ marks will do a month's worth of backlogs."

"And _there's_ the catch," Falman whispered with regret as Havoc looked at him worriedly.

 _Lend me your skills_ , his eyes seemed to tell. The Warrant Officer grinned and gave him thumbs up.

Once the men finished putting some of their luggage at Roy and Riza's cabin, the group suddenly gave him a bottle of whiskey and a basket of food with the greeting, "Happy birthday, Good-For-Nothing Colonel!"

"What 'Good-For-Nothing'? Didn't I treat you guys your seats?" Roy said, giving them a playful glare. "Anyway, thanks. This is nice."

Fuery gave them a salute. "All right, Colonel, Lieutenant! We'll be poring over maps! Bye!"

"This is a really nice gift, hmm," Roy murmured once Fuery and the others left. He placed it on top of the luggage with a pleased smile.

Riza settled Black Hayate beside the window before turning to him with a grin. "That reminds me, here's a journal, sir."

"You gave me a present?" he said with a smirk. "What an honour!"

When Riza only stared at him, he just curled his lips. "Anyway, thank you, I was nearly out of pages. This is very thoughtful of you, Lieutenant."

"It's for you to note the deadlines, Colonel," she said with a chilling smile. "So, we don't get backlogs."

"I get it, I get it," he said with a rueful smile, scratching his head. "You're really scoring a lot on my birthday, hmm, Lieutenant?"

"It's the best gift you'll ever get," Riza answered with a straight face.

Roy mocked a gasp, uttering, "How cold."

Suddenly, Black Hayate barked at him.

"My dog vehemently disagrees."

They stared at each other for a second before bursting into laughter.

Roy thought this year would be one of his worst birthdays, but he's beginning to think differently. Especially if she'd keep looking at him that way. Just like she did last time, during that military drill with Briggs. He hopes he'll keep receiving it.

It'd be better than any gift he could ever ask for.

When he heard the whistle of the train signifying their departure, Roy closed the door of their cabin. He was about to offer the Lieutenant some bread from the basket that Fuery gave when the train jolted into motion and Riza stumbled backwards, hitting his chin.

He groaned from the pain and was about to check if the Lieutenant was all right when the train jolted again. Before he could lose his balance and trip Riza in the process, he caught her waist and latched onto an overhead cabin to prevent their fall. He didn't have long to wonder about the train's movement when it jerked another time, making Riza press against him even further and hold onto the hand he had wrapped around her.

Finally, the train moved more evenly, and Roy let his head rest behind her shoulder out of relief, glad that there were no other untoward incidents. Riza sighed against him as well, so he raised his head to check how she was. "Are you all right, Lieutenant?"

She glanced up at him with a weary sigh. "You should worry about yourself more, sir."

Her brows were drawn up and her lips were set on a thin line, his Lieutenant's version of a pout. Roy laughed a little, enjoying the expression on her visage. He was about to tease her further when she twisted against him and suddenly wound her arms around his neck, whispering, "Happy birthday."

His breath hitched with the brush of her lips at the side of his neck with the unexpected embrace.

He didn't know what to do with the shock of it all, but when he felt her withdrawing from him, he wreathed his arms around her waist, hugging her closer to him. Riza sighed against him, and he did the same, his eyes fluttering to a close. He didn't want to open his eyes just yet. Then he tilted his head a little next to her ear and murmured, "Thank you."

When she responded by tightening her hold on him, his heart raced a little. 

It felt _so good_ to be held by her.

Roy didn't want to let go, but that would be disrespectful to her, so he removed his hands from her waist slowly... lingering as long as he can, as long as she hasn't completely moved away from him, as long as his memory can register the shape and warmth of her embrace.

Slowly, their gazes met each other's — her deep brown eyes reaching his dark irises, just like dusk ushering the dawn to a new horizon.

The way she looked at him, it really was the best thing. He didn't even need to ask, if it was her. She just knew. He couldn't help grinning at her.

Her lips curled at him, but it curled even further when Black Hayate barked at them happily.

They didn't need words. They didn't need to do anything further.

Just like this, it was already more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I skipped two months because I was on meds, so sorry about that! Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> As always, take care and let me know what you think! ^_^
> 
> Edit (24 Nov 2020): I realised I kept putting First Lieutenant Hawkeye in the middle part of the story when it should be Second Lieutenant!!! So I fixed it to maintain continuity with "First." 
> 
> Also, I changed ambush to coup de main. An ambush involves a surprise attack while someone is traveling. Meanwhile, a coup de main is a more general term for a surprise attack. Trivia, trivia! <3


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